ODOT cover-up is evidence of continued corruption in state government

Bud Pierce for Governor

SALEM, Ore. – Oregon gubernatorial candidate Bud Pierce will join Oregon Republican leaders in calling for the immediate resignation of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Director Matthew Garrett. Evidence shows Garrett and members of Governor Brown’s office knowingly provided questionable facts on greenhouse gas emissions last session to legislators.

“Governor Brown should have asked for Garrett’s resignation when his failure to present accurate numbers scuttled a delicate deal on a transportation package. It’s now clear why she did not. The governor’s office did so to further her political agenda. This is an appalling breach of the public trust on the part of Garrett, Governor Brown’s staff, and yes, Governor Brown,” said Pierce.

While last session’s transportation package failed, the Low Carbon Fuel Standards bill was signed into law.

“This measure should never have been passed by the Legislature, much less signed into law by Governor Brown. It is an example of the backroom dealing and green money laundering that led to the departure of Governor Kitzhaber and Cylvia Hayes,” adds Pierce.

The Low Carbon Fuel Standard legislation will increase gas prices. The Department of Environment Quality is reported to have said that this legislation may increase gas prices from four to 19 cents per gallon.

“This legislation should be repealed,” stated Pierce. “Oregonians will ship hundreds of thousands of dollars to state-favored ‘green energy’ companies under this mandate. This is essentially a hidden gas tax and corporate welfare at its worst.”

Oregon’s infrastructure has been in severe disrepair for decades. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2013 Infrastructure Report Card, 23 percent of Oregon’s bridges are “structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.” Oregon’s poor road conditions cost motorists $654 million a year.

Pierce concludes, “We need to build roads and bridges for cars and trucks to travel quickly and safely to every corner of our state. Improving our transportation infrastructure in a transparent and bipartisan way will be a first step in creating jobs and fostering economic prosperity for Oregonians all over the state.”

Pierce, a business owner and senior partner in Hematology/Oncology of Salem, announced his candidacy for governor on Sept. 10.